After 3 attempts and 6 years, I have finally managed to get my protection order discharged. No lawyer was used as I have yet to come across a good one. I tried several. Interestingly the judge stayed well clear of my legal arguments in his judgment.
Among other things I argued the NZ Bill of Rights. I also argued that the Crimes Act, the Trespass Act, and the Harassment Act provided plenty of legal protection for the respondent. I wish us men got better organised so that we could get a case up to Supreme Court level and have these arguments of mine set as a binding precedent for all the lower courts.
This proposed legislation change shows the extent to which the Ministry of Justice, as is the case with most other ministries, is now dominated by the agenda of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. They want a man to be ruled guilty of a rape allegation unless he can prove he sought and obtained consent. They also want to disallow any questioning of complainants about their sexual history with the alleged “attacker”. Further, they want to define consent legally but we don’t know what they mean by that; rest assured, it will be a definition that makes it very difficult to prove consent was obtained.
The changes will see the principles of injustice in the DVA seeping into general criminal law; i.e. when a man is accused he needs to prove his innocence rather than the crown needing to prove his guilt. They will also see another major erosion of well-established protections against false conviction by further limiting the ability of defence counsel to test the allegations. Such erosion has been steadily occurring over the last few decades, specifically for sexual allegations for which men usually stand as the accused.
This proposal comes on top of amendments a while back that enables consent that was given to be seen as not having been given (See “Warning to all men” posted on MENZ 20/09/07).
As Bill Hodge said, the fact that a particular crime is difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt does not justify reducing the standard of proof required. That will convict a few more truly guilty parties but it will also increase the rate of wrongful convictions. Arson is also difficult to prove (because the evidence has usually been destroyed), but does that mean that we should make it easier to convict anyone the police decide to charge with arson? Of course not; that would be highly unfair. But apparently fairness doesn’t matter when it comes to men.
Quite possibly, a hidden agenda here is a wish to give mothers an easy way of maintaining primary care of children in an environment where shared care is becoming fashionable (because it is so strongly supported by good outcome research). If the mother can obtain an easy rape conviction, this will rule out all but supervised contact for the father.
It will be very difficult for a man to prove he sought and obtained consent. Even if he has a signed consent form, the woman can argue that her signature was obtained under duress. Legally, such consent can only be defended if both parties have been given independent legal advice about what they are signing and agreeing to.
The proposal shows how much Annette King and her ilk hate men and want to turn men into slaves and lower caste citizens. It is outrageous yet there is every chance it will be brought in. Will this be enough to shock men out of their complacency and on to the streets?
I hope the following USA article clarifies this issue for NZ non-custodial parents (fathers). I apologise for using the old Guardianship Act terms, but they do communicate the legal relationships in a straightforward and honest manner, that helps real people to understand the caughtroom behaviour of these not qualified “judges”.
US OCSE Enforcement of Child Support Obligations
“The California Supreme Court reasoned that the obligation of a parent to support a child, and to become employed if that is necessary to meet the obligation, is in no way comparable or akin to peonage or slavery.”
(more…)
Invitation to Public Meetings – Comparing the Political Parties Policies:
Organised by Men’s Centre Auckland phone for these meetings: 638 7275 cell 021 537 196
Tuesday 19th August – Focus on Supporting Together Families
Tuesday 9th September – Focus on Supporting Separated Families
These will be held at Mount Eden Normal School Hall, corner of Valley and Sherbourne Roads, Mount Eden, starting at 7.30 pm and ending at 9.30 pm. Attendees will be requested to make a gold coin donation.
Focus on Supporting Together Families Tuesday 19th August
1. How will your party better support together families?
2. How will your party improve New Zealand’s international competitiveness and make the NZ labour market stronger and more secure?
3. What improvements does your party propose to Police, Courts, Probation and Prisons, to protect citizens?
4. What improvements does your party propose to Education and Health?
(more…)
Following High Court proceedings against it Pharmac has maintained its commitment to rational, science-based decisions by honestly re-evaluating the research into Herceptin rather than caving in to feminist political pressure. No good research currently supports a contention that a 12-month course for women is clinically superior to a shorter course, so Pharmac very sensibly has decided to withhold expenditure on Herceptin of $20 to $30 million that can be used for other treatments supported by adequate proof.
The reaction of the political parties to Pharmac’s unchanged position provides important information about how corrupt they are prepared to become in order to attract the women’s vote. (more…)
The United Future (UF) policy is in some ways positive. Legal recognition of the concept of a “presumption of shared parenting” after separation is a step forward. Acknowledgement is welcome of the growing research showing that fatherlessness is perpetuated through current family law but is very bad for children. Those who have slaved away for years in he men’s and fathers’ movement need to pat themselves on the back because some of their efforts have trickled in to wider awareness.
However, published details so far show UF is hardly moving in the direction that fathers know will be better for children and for society. (more…)
Message from Claire Cartwright – Director Clinical Psychology Programme, Dept of Psychology, University of Auckland.
Families in Transition – Couples in Repartnered (Step) Families
I still have my online survey for stepfamily adults open. I am closing it at the end of August.
This is a last request to see if there are more men in your networks who would be interested in doing it. Only a third of my participants have been men. And it would be great to have some more fathers and stepfathers do it.
Any adult who is repartnered and has children from a previous relationship (theirs or partners) in the home for part of the week can do the survey online. It does take at least 20 minutes however. And some people take longer.
When someone is ready to do it (has the time), then they can click on the link below and they will find themselves in a secure university site.
Couples in Repartnered (Step) Families survey
If anyone has any queries, they are welcome to email me at: [email protected]
UnitedFuture has announced plans to reform New Zealand family law, in a three-pronged approach designed to keep both parents closely involved in the day-to-day lives of their children following family breakdown.
“UnitedFuture will introduce ‘shared parenting’ as a default position for child custody arrangements in the family court,” announced family spokesperson Judy Turner.
“Shared parenting is currently granted in only one in nine judgements by the Family Court, with sole custody given to only one parent in eight out of ten cases, which is an extremely unsatisfactory situation. (more…)
Sovereign Sunshine, which is a charity arm of the Insurance/Finance company Sovereign, selects six charities each months and puts them to a vote. This month, Father & Child Trust is one of them. The winner takes $10,000-$15,000, which would be a huge boost for us.
Since it’s not all that well known, there’s not too many voters and individual votes actually make a big difference. Here’s the link: www.sovereignsunshine.co.nz
If you’re not familiar with Father & Child Trust, look at www.fatherandchild.net.nz .
We don’t make a lot of noise, but we’ve been helping dads for around for 11 years now. Lately we’ve been producing a magazine for new dads, which they get at the hospital when the baby is born. You can watch a video clip of an interview on TV1 Breakfast show, or here for a ‘Press’ story about the mag.
Thanks lots – Harald
I want to further address Sunday’s article A man’s core desire for adventure and some of the following comments. Darren gives us a look at what he is doing for men and their children in Australia. He also invites us and our contacts to join him. In the following comments, Martin is cynical and therefore critical of the article and suggests that it is another attempt from someone to get a living out of our misery. That got me thinking. He expressed my own feelings from a few years ago and I became introspective as to how my thinking has changed and if I am letting myself and the team down by seeing the best in people’s motives. It took me back to my rage at the way I was treated by the system and I was able to juxtapose that with a female who was brutally raped by a man. (more…)
Peter Dunne, United Future Leader, is setting up the groundwork for his National friends.
Information matching on child support debt to begin
NZPA
Tuesday August 5 2008 – 02:49pm
Information matching between Inland Revenue and the Customs Service for the
purpose of recovering outstanding child support debt will begin at the end of this week,
Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said today
Regards
Scrap
Press Release by United Future at 3:52 pm, 04 Aug 2008
UnitedFuture is calling on the Government to immediately introduce DNA paternity testing, following new figures from Britain showing that in one in five claims DNA testing proves that the mother misidentified the father of their child.
“It is a disgrace that in New Zealand men have no right at all to get a simple DNA test to confirm whether they are the father or not,” says Mrs Turner.
“Presently, if the mother says no to a DNA test, then the man and child are left in the dark as to whether they are in fact related.” (more…)
So here I am… an Australian man posting on MENZ.org.nz… brave or what? Especially after the Wallabies received an absolute grubbing at the hands of the All Blacks yesterday. John Potter had explained that MENZ.org.nz was specifically designed and created for New Zealand men, but after I played the “ANZAC” card, he was most gracious, and has allowed me to author and post a few articles here. So here it goes…
ADVENTURE!
Whatever your nationality, there is something at the core of ALL men… and that’s our desire for adventure. Oh sure, most of our lives on the surface, look anything but adventurous, but it is there… however deep we may have buried it over time. Just watch boys play. My youngest son, Theo, has just turned 5. About a month ago, he came to me and asked if I could remove his training wheels from his bike. I didn’t think he was ready, because he hadn’t been riding long, but I resisted those doubts, and off they came… and more importantly, off he went… and he never looked back. (more…)
National Radio the Panel today
Gary makes some intersting points in relation to Child Support and speaks of men he knows who could not afford to pay child support who have left the country.
Regards
Scrap
“It’s not just about the money”: non-resident father’s perspectives on paying [109 KB PDF]
Key words: child support, fatherhood, non-residential fathers, meaning of money
Abstract
We examine fathers perceptions of paying child support using in-depth interviews with 26 separated or divorced non-residential fathers in Australia.While the majority of fathers agree that continued financial support of their children is important, child support is a difficult component of their lives. Difficulties arise not only because of the financial costs, but changes in the father-provider role after separation. The payment of child support is viewed as a continuation of the provider role, but fathers have little or no control over how much money is contributed and how that money is spent. Consequently, most fathers question the amounts they have been assessed to pay and how the money is being spent on their children. These responses suggest that policy reforms aimed at changing non-residential fathers child support behaviours need to be sensitive to non-material aspects of the payments not just capacity to pay.
On the surface this looks great but consider the underlying ideology of the researchers as seen in the language and methodology. (more…)
Strong storm warnings of a strong storm scared off fair weather friends, but the protection-order burning ceremony was still a splendid affair in Hamilton on Saturday. (Copies of) protection orders were burnt, words of great wisdom spoken and those Hamilton shoppers who braved the weather were shaken out of their complacency to be thoroughly edified and entertained. The injustice, male enslavement and child abuse perpetrated by our Family Court and feminist laws are starting to be recognized by the man and woman in the street.
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As a bonus, Queen Liz II graced us with her presence and was told, in the most obsequiously groveling way, that she was no longer needed as our head of state. The flag of the queen’s governor-general was burned in a spirit of deep subordination. Her royal majesty attempted to have our bowed heads severed from their bodies but she was uncrowned and defrocked before the order could be effected, revealing a stunning, sleek evening dress no doubt intended for the evening’s state banquet. (Winston Peters had to be invited to the banquet because the Left Dishonourable Ms Clark couldn’t find any kindergartens needing formal opening in Eastern Europe to keep Winston from offending important foreign dignitaries. Winston hoped to ask Queen Liz for $100,000 which his lawyer would then conveniently forget to tell him about.)Â
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The event was so much fun that the Republic of New Zealand Party will do it all again in Auckland and Tauranga soon. Details will follow, so polish up those (copies of) protection orders and keep those match-lighting fingers fit and ready.Â
I’m the producer of a documentary currently being made about the Child Support Act (CSA). Hand in hand with that are the troubles with the Family Court (FC), which have driven a lot of families apart.
The documentary is called “The CSA Files” and you can visit www.the-csa-files.webs.com for more information. This email serves as a formal written interview and your response or lack there of will be incorporated into the documentary
Information and statistics are in no short supply thanks to the power of the Internet. Even those that are computer illiterate have no problems finding this information. The people are learning and it’s time for the government to answer some questions… (more…)
When the government sees fit to surgically remove the father from the family culture do they realize they are in fact turning a nuclear family into a nuclear weapon? A study done in Massey University in 1996 found the following horrific facts:
Fatherless Kids are:
5 times more likely to commit suicide
32 times more likely to run away
20 times more likely to have behavioral disorders
14 times more likely to commit rape
9 times more likely to drop out of high school
10 more likely to abuse chemical substances
9 times more likely to end up in a state-operated institution
20 times more likely to end up in prison
There is much more data out there to support this conclusion which is now more than just a theory. These are just the main bullet points. Not only do we suffer as Fathers with little to no access to our sons and daughters, which in itself is a heart breaker but the kids face even greater difficulties.
Remember, legislation encourages Mothers to do it alone… but look what happens when they do. This does not mean men are better then women or fathers are better then mothers, it means they are more powerful and effective when working together. Something that seems to be overlooked when the FCworks “in the best interest of the children.”
As reported in a Press article on Monday: New daddies get a helping hand, a special edition of the Father & Child magazine will be given to new fathers in Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin [and Auckland – JohnP] hospitals as part of a birth pack for parents.
Christchurch father Donald Pettit told the Press:
“This magazine would make dads feel included. It’s important to feel this is an important time for fathers, as so much of the focus seems to be the other members of the family.”
This morning on the TV1 Breakfast show, Father and Child Trust co-ordinator Harald Breiding-Buss did a great job of promoting the magazine, and getting out a positive message about fathering. (more…)
Last weekend’s Sunday Star Times reported that Victoria University Institute of Policy Studies senior researcher Dr Paul Callister has asked the Human Rights Commission if women-only scholarships breach human rights laws: Women-only scholarships under spotlight
“Historically, women-only scholarships were justified, but now they aren’t disadvantaged in education. My view is these scholarships are discriminatory now because we’re past the point of needing special treatment for getting women into universities and degrees,” Callister told the Sunday Star-Times.
Instead, he believed women-only scholarships should be made gender- neutral so anyone in need could apply. “Gender is no longer the clear marker of disadvantage that it once was.”
On Monday, Analiese Jackson, National Women’s Rights Officer of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) claimed that women-only scholarships are still justified. She asks:
“How do you determine that equality has been achieved?”
I heard that the NZ Republicans are carrying out a demonstration next Saturday 26 July where they will publicly burn copies of protection orders to highlight the injustice inherent in our Domestic Violence Legislation.
This legislation causes men to lose normal rights, and children to lose contact with their fathers, on the basis of uncorroborated, unproven allegations of “violence” defined so broadly as to cover almost any behaviour commonly shown in situations of conflict. The current orders automatically prevent fathers from having contact with their children, regardless of any realistic risk those fathers might present to the children. The fathers are treated as guilty until they can convince the Family Court that they are innocent, in many cases impossible because for many judges it only takes a woman to claim she is “frightened” for protection orders to be maintained. (more…)
Michelle Richards was in the news again recently when she was recalled to prison after being granted parole this year on a life sentence for her part in the murder of her partner. After her partner had written her into his will, she convinced her 18-year-old lover to kill him by stabbing him while he lay in bed.
I post this case because it is an example of a woman encouraging or inspiring a man to commit serious violence to another person that she does not want to commit herself. We hear about it from time to time and I believe it is more common than people realise. (more…)
FYI, here is my complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority.
The three advertisements from the same advertiser came as a package and have all been shown in turn and repeatedly over the same significant time period. They portray men and only men causing violence and injury to others through drinking alcohol excessively, while they portray women and only women who drink excessively as only being victims of male violence. (more…)
